FEBRUARY 11, 1999
**********************************************************
T&D EXTRA is an information service of Training & Development
magazine, published by the American Society for Training &
Development,
www.astd.org. **********************************************************
THIS WEEK:
1. HIRING AND RETENTION SPOKEN HERE
2. FUTURE VIEW: THE NEXT 10 YEARS
3. SEE YOU IN ATLANTA: ASTD '99
____________________________________________________________
HIRING AND RETENTION SPOKEN HERE
According to Jim Harris and Joan Brannick, authors of Finding &
Keeping Great Employees, we could all learn from companies that focus
on finding and keeping great talent. The authors identify four basic
organizational cultures--customer service, operational excellence,
innovation, and spirit--that successful companies use to align their
staffing and retention efforts. The key is that they zero in on one of
them and use it to drive strategy. According to the authors, "Aligned
companies break out of the cycle of disconnection and find and keep
top-notch employees through a laser-like focus on their core culture."
Harris and Brannick offer plenty of case studies, tips, and a six-step
plan for getting an organization on track. They also highlight eight
best practices for finding and holding on to the "keepers."
(Source: Finding & Keeping Great Employees, by Jim Harris and Joan
Brannick. New York: Amacom, 1999)
___________________________________________________________
FUTURE VIEW
What do the next 10 years hold for the electronic workplace? Here's
what some visionaries have to say.
* Arno A. Penzias, recently retired chief scientist at Bell
Laboratories: "Much will be customized for the individual worker.
That's how you get maximum productivity. McDonald's does this now. The
person behind the counter who can't make change just pushes the button
for the Big Mac."
* Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape: "No matter where you go,
you'll have access to a computer. So if you're working on a document
in your office and then in a plane, there will be a keyboard on the
plane that will let you keep working with it that way. And the same
thing in the hotel room."
* Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems: "There's no such thing as a
personal computer in the future. There are only available appliances.
You will use your smart card or smart ring or some sort of proximity
device, so that as your get near it, the device knows who you are,
what you're authorized to access, then you type in your password to
get whatever service you paid for."
* Jaron Lanier, the father of virtual reality and lead scientist at
the National Tele-immersion Initiative: "Voice recognition will be
standard. Clearly, there will be a camera, and it won't just be used
for videoconferencing. It will be used to confirm the identity of the
user and monitor job performance."
(Source: Computerworld,
www.computerworld.com) ____________________________________________________________
SEE YOU IN ATLANTA: ASTD '99
Join your colleagues from around the world for the ASTD '99
International Conference & Exposition, the premier event in workplace
learning and performance. It's happening May 22-27 in Atlanta, and
here's a sampling of what's planned for you:
* 250+ sessions
* networking with contacts from 80+ countries
* the latest training products at the industry's largest expo,
featuring The Discovery Playground in the Technology Pavilion, and the
Experiential Learning Pavilion
* case studies from high-profile, multinational companies.
For more conference information or to register, go to
http://www.astd.org/virtual_community/astd99. **********************************************************
Feel free to share T&D EXTRA with friends and colleagues, but request
permission if you'd like to reprint any portion of it (Email Donna
Abernathy at
dabernathy@astd.org).
Copyright 1999 American Society for Training & Development
***********************************************************